Thursday, April 26, 2012

Soul searching and apple chutney

I spent the afternoon soul searching, job searching and making my phenomenal, spicy apple chutney. After some trial and error, I have come to the conclusion that MacIntosh apples are by far the best choice for chutney, spreads and apple sauce. Other ingredients include red and green bell peppers, raisins, minced garlic, minced ginger, cayenne pepper, curry, agave.... are you feeling hungry yet?

Nutritional stats for about 100 g of chutney: 119 calories, 1 g protein, close to 0 g fat, 3 g fiber, 23 g sugar, 3 mg sodium.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Quick and yummy lunch: Salmon-Lentil Salad with Soy Dressing

I think every time I have Chinese food for dinner (yes, even though I love to brag about how I always cook my own meals from scratch, I slip up now and then), my scale indicates a weight gain of a whopping 5 lbs the following morning. Yikes! Probably just water weight, but still! That's what you get for soaking your steamed veggies in soy sauce....

But what's a girl to do? I love soy sauce! I'm having a busy day today, so instead of figuring out a new recipe for lunch, I made this lentil/salmon salad with low-sodium soy dressing (yes!) from SELF Magazine. I had to make some modifications to make the dish more waist line friendly, and I also subbed quinoa for their brown rice and used fresh instead of canned salmon. It came out delicious - will definitely make this again.

Nutritional stats: 418 calories, 53 g carbs, 32 g protein, 9 g fat, 9 g fiber, 8 g sugar, 563 mg sodium.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Summer soup: chilled spicy avocado-corn chowder with grilled chicken

Time for lunch! Fortunately, warmer temperatures do not mean you have to give up your favorite soups - just eat them chilled! Today, I am having a chilled spicy avocado-corn chowder with grilled chicken (238 calories) and a herbed feta / butternut squash sandwich (214 calories). Filling and delicious!

Nutritional stats for both dishes: 452 calories, 51 g carbs, 25 g protein, 18 g fat, 9 g fiber, 11 g sugar, 583 mg sodium.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Meatless Monday Dinner: Poached Egg Sandwich with Apple Slices and Hazelnut Vinaigrette

I might have cheated on Meatless Monday for lunch, but at least I'm making a proper vegetarian meal for dinner! On the menu tonight is a poached egg sandwich with apple slices and hazelnut vinaigrette - hopefully it will be filling enough for the long night of work that's awaiting me....

Nutritional facts: 413 calories, 50 g carbs, 15 g protein, 19 g fat, 6 g fiber, 19 g sugar, 520 mg sodium.

A pretty Monday lunch: vanilla carrot mousse and shredded chicken soy tacos

Just because you're eating your lunch alone at home, it doesn't mean you shouldn't do your best to make it look beautiful! Today, I am having a vanilla-carrot mousse with celery and crushed walnuts (175 calories) and shredded chicken "tacos" on soy wrappers, with roasted corn and avocado (220 calories).

Nutritional stats for both dishes: 395 calories, 44 g carbs, 23 g protein, 13 g fat, 12 g fiber, 13 g sugar, 261 mg sodium.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

The perfect Sunday dinner: curried butternut squash soup and chicken/guac sandwich

It takes a lot of discipline to break out your pots and pans and cook your own dinner when you're starving and tired after a steamy ashtanga yoga class and your boyfriend is ordering pizza.... but I'd say it definitely worth it! Also, I think whipping this up actually took less time than dialing the pizza place and waiting for the delivery guy! I'm having a curried butternut squash soup with scallions and pepitas (236 calories) and a grilled chicken sandwich with homemade guac (250 calories).

Nutritional stats for both dishes: 496 calories, 64 g carbs, 26 g protein, 18 g fat, 9 g fiber, 12 g sugar, 302 mg sodium.

Coconut-curry soup with turkey fricadelles & lemon marinated pear/apple/fennel salad

Sundays are when I recharge, plan my recipes for the upcoming week and write my grocery shopping list for Monday morning (which is arguably the best time to hit Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and our local Farmers' Market). No new recipe for lunch today - instead I decided to go with an old favorite: Coconut-curry soup with turkey fricadelles (300 calories) and a lemon marinated pear/apple/fennel salad (175 calories) on the side. Perfect for this chilly, damp weather!

Nutritional stats for both dishes: 475 calories, 60 g carbs, 35 g protein, 13 g fat, 13 g fiber, 27 g sugar, 209 mg sodium.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Lentil-Walnut Pate on crispbread with Watercress Salad on the side

When you have a tiny kitchen, you unfortunately have no room for a whole machine park of appliances, or even the most necessary ones. If we ever move to something more spacious, I will invest in a food processor faster than you can say "puree"! Meanwhile, my blender has to double as an FP whenever I'm making patees, spreads and hummuses. Today's lentil-walnut patee turned out wonderfully - I served it on crispbread with watercress salad and some veggies on the side. Definitely a winner!

Nutritional stats:  229 calories, 25 g carbs, 7 g protein, 11 g fat, 5 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 220 mg sodium.

Friday, April 20, 2012

His and hers: Portobello Mushroom Burger vs Faux BLT

I'm cooking separate Friday night dinners for me and my boyfriend since he hates about 99.9 % of all the dishes I make (yes, he is crazy) - portobello mushroom burger with baked sweet potato fries for him, faux BLT with chicken breast, avocado and mung bean sprouts for me.

Nutritional stats for my dinner (I didn't even bother measuring and counting when I made his burger): 296 calories, 33 g carbs, 22 g protein, 10 g fat, 8 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 219 mg sodium.




Fish for lunch: Jamaican Jerk Salmon

Who doesn't love fish and fruit? I can't think of a better lunch than one that combines those two - my lunch today is a Jamaican jerk salmon seasoned with cumin, cayenne and cinnamon, served with mango-pineapple salsa and asparagus.

Nutritional stats: 296 calories, 41 g carbs, 32 g protein, 2 g fat, 9 g fiber, 22 g sugar, 219 mg sodium.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Egg sammy with avocado/lime spread & garlicky strawberry/tomato salad

It's sandwich week at my house! I usually never buy more than one roll or slice of bread at a time, if even that. But due to a series of quite uninteresting events, I got stuck with a whole loaf of oatnut bread - so I guess I'll be eating a lot of sandwiches in the next couple of days. Fortunately, that is perfectly doable even from a "tiny waist" point of view! Tonight's dinner is a waist line friendly egg sammy with avocado/lime spread and chopped shallots, served with a garlicky strawberry/tomato salad on the side.

Nutritional stats for both dishes: 409 calories, 45 g carbs, 15 g protein, 21 g fat, 10 g fiber, 14 g sugar, 271 mg sodium.


Healthy eating on set (or at work)

Just because you're on set all day, it doesn't mean you have to have pizza for lunch (why do they even buy that for models without asking us first what we want to eat?). I'm bringing this fiber and vitamin bomb with me today to my booking - a salad made from steamed lentils, edamame, scallions, spinach, onions, pine nuts, cherry tomatoes and celery. Hopefully I will have time to eat it too.

Nutritional facts: 354 calories, 44 g carbs, 26 g protein, 12 g fat, 18 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 91 mg sodium.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Dinner for cold weather: Creme de Chou-Fleur

Hello??! What happened to the warm weather? All of a sudden it's freezing out again, i e typical crappy NY April weather. But at least that's a good excuse for making one of my favorite soups for dinner: creme de chou-fleur!

Nutritional facts: 193 calories, 30 g carbs, 8 g protein, 6 g fat, 8 g fiber, 8 g sugar, 109 mg sodium.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Salmon-Potato-Leek Quiche

I've been a bad blogger and a bad chef, mostly due to the beautiful weather (which curbs my appetite, and also makes me not want to slave away in the kitchen if I can avoid it) as well as a jam-packed work schedule. Of course, when you have zero time to cook, all you want to do when you get home is to heat up a frozen meal in the microwave while you're changing out of your high heels and into your fuzzy slippers.... but I'm just not a fan of those sodium-packed, zero-nutrition, often over-priced Lean Cuisine and Amy's dishes. So what gives? I'm making my own, of course!

My favorite food to make in advance and freeze has to be the quiche, especially now when I finally figured out how to make a low calorie crust without compromising on taste. Below is a salmon-potato-leek version that I made the other day - served it for lunch earlier today with a tomato salad and some string beans on the side and it was delicious!

Nutritional stats per slice (1/4 of whole quiche): 252 calories, 30 g carbs, 21 g protein, 5 g fat, 4 g fiber, 2 g sugar, 278 mg sodium.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Cambodian dinner: Num Pang Roasted Cauliflower Sandwich

Feeling lazy, making a sandwich for dinner as well. People who don't eat carbs just have no idea what they're missing. This is my version of the Cambodian Roasted Cauliflower Sandwich at Num Pang (@University & 5th here in NY) - complete with carrots, cauliflower and chunky eggplant purée, but with avocado paste and soybean sprouts instead of soybean mayo (I hate mayo!), and cucumber spirals and celery sticks on the side.

Nutritional stats including the side veggies: 319 calories, 45 g carbs, 14 g protein, 13 g fat, 13 g fiber, 11 g sugar, 532 mg sodium.

Warm Goat Cheese & Beet Sandwich

Having a melted goat cheese and steamed beet sandwich with shallots and spinach for lunch, and my go-to corn-tomato-edamame salad on the side! I am really into making open-faced sandwiches right now - not only are they less messy to eat, but they're also much easier (and more fun) to style. Right?!

Nutritional stats for both dishes: sandwich 324 calories, salad 107 calories, 56 g carbs, 18 g protein, 15 g fat, 10g fiber, 18 g sugar, 371 mg sodium.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Salmon/Veggie Wrap & Seedy Spinach Salad

I loved that baked root veggie medley from yesterday so much that I decided to make it again, but on a tortilla together with some shredded salmon... and with a side salad loaded with chia, pumpkin and sesame seeds.

Nutritional stats for both dishes together: 417 calories, 53 g carbs, 28 g protein, 12 g fat, 12 g fiber, 22 g sugar, 342 mg sodium. Also, I learned the secret of folding these corn tortillas without breaking them - preheating them in a toaster oven seems to work like a charm!

Quick and filling lunch for a busy day: Southwestern Quinoa Salad with Garlic-Encrusted Tofu

I spent my morning cleaning the apartment, going to a 90 minute ashtanga yoga class, walking the dog and also making a lame attempt at cutting his hair, and in the afternoon I have castings... so I need a healthy but hearty lunch to get me through the day without breaking down and getting a Luna bar or something worse from a deli or bodega. Solution: sauteed, garlic encrusted tofu squares and a Southwestern quinoa salad!

Nutritional stats: 423 calories, 58 g carbs, 23 g protein, 13 g fat, 13 g fiber, 8 g sugar, 113 mg sodium.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Potassium packed dinner: Root Veggie Medley with Tofu and Lemon

This potassium bomb is what's for dinner tonight: a baked root veggie medley with garlic tofu and a lemon dressing. I pretty much used whatever I had in the fridge: summer squash, zucchini, garlic cloves, red onion, carrots, red potatoes, celery, beets.... and seasoned it with freshly squeezed lemon, black pepper, rosemary and whole leaf sage (my current favorite). I guess I could have used a pinch of olive oil as well, but figured my ass didn't need that at this time!

Nutritional stats: 312 calories, 53 g carbs, 18 g protein, 5 g fat, 12 g fiber, 22 g sugar, 199 mg sodium, 1963 mg potassium (42 % of daily requirement). I will definitely make this dish again!

Post-Yoga Lunch: Salmon-Pear Tortillas and Corn Salad

This is what I like to chow down after yoga! Salmon-Pear Tortillas with a Corn-Tomato-Scallion Salad on the side! Nutritional stats: 396 calories, 57 g carbs, 24 g protein, 9 g fat, 9 g fiber, 18 g sugar, 281 mg sodium.

Note I made these with corn tortillas... obviously not my number one choice, but Trader Joe's were out of the reduced-carb whole grain wraps that I usually get. Booo! Also, not only are the corn tortillas not as "healthy", but they break when you fold them! Hence those pesky rubber bands... *sigh*

Monday, April 9, 2012

Meatless Monday, part deux: Veggie Burger with Kidney Bean Hummus and Summer Squash "Fries"

Time for vegetarian dinner! Today I made a lettuce-wrapped veggie burger with turmeric-rolled summer squash "fries" and homemade kidney bean hummus. Nutritional stats: 372 calories, 53 g carbs, 24 g protein, 10 g fat, 17 g fiber, 16 g sugar, 456 mg sodium.

It tasted delicious, but I guess I failed miserably at the food styling part.... better luck next time! :)

Meatless Monday! Quinoa-Edamame Salad with Ginger-Lemon-Sesame Dressing

What's for lunch? A yummy quinoa-edamame salad with ginger-lemon-sesame dressing! Nutrition stats: 341 calories, 45 g carbs, 15 g protein, 12 g fat, 9 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 317 mg sodium.

And most importantly, Angel seems to approve! :)

Friday, April 6, 2012

Easy Dinner: Pear-Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

I like to wrap up my day with a light dinner, such as these Pear-Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers... although they might have been a little too light for my appetite! Probably good for my "tiny" waist, though. Next time I'll add goat cheese or pine nuts to all those veggies that I used for the stuffing.

Nutritional stats: 260 calories, 47 g carbs, 9 g protein, 5 g fat, 9 g fiber, 10 g sugar, 21 mg sodium.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Summer Corn With Garlic Shrimp

The beautiful summer weather inspired me to whip up this dish for dinner: Summer Corn With Garlic Shrimp, Lemon and Basil. Nutritional stats: 278 calories, 33 g carbs, 28 g protein, 4 g fat, 9 g fiber, 11 g sugar, 234 mg sodium.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Creamy Potato-Leek Soup With Agave and Roasted Bell Peppers

Not your ordinary potato-leek soup! The agave made all the difference in the world. But why is it so hard to make soup look good in pictures? :(

Nutritional stats: 278 calories, 44 g carbs, 9 g protein, 8 g fat, 5 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 271 mg sodium.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Fish and veggie medley with lemon, coriander and sage

Hard to believe I used to hate fish as a kid. This fish and veggie medley is more like a garbage salad... I had some cod and a myriad of veggies that were all approaching their expiry dates. Also, I tried baking the fish in the toaster oven, which turned out to work really well. Who'd have thunk?

Nutritional stats: 301 calories, 37 g carbs, 33 g protein, 5 g fat, 10 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 287 mg sodium.

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Fish tacos with strawberry/chia seed salsa

Tonight's dinner is a fish taco with strawberry/chia seed salsa, and an edamame/corn salad with lemon dressing on the side.

Nutritional stats: fish taco 275 calories, side salad 89 calories. 44 g carbs, 37 g protein, 11 g fat, 20 g fiber, 11 g sugar, 488 mg sodium.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Quickie Lunch: Mint Pesto Sandwich

Sometimes I just don't feel like cooking - that's when I "borrow" some bread from my boyfriend's side of the pantry (yeah, he gets to use about 3 % of our total kitchen space) and whip up some easy spread using whatever I have at home. This mint pesto is heavily inspired by a recipe I found on Martha Stewart's website. :)

Nutritional stats: 284 calories, 31 g carbs, 7 g protein, 16 g fat, 4 g fiber, 8 g sugar, 178 mg sodium. These could probably have improved a lot if I had gone out and bought some healthy bread, etc etc... but who cares? It was delish!

Monday, March 26, 2012

Meatless Monday! Gingered sesame encrusted tofu and roasted potato salad

It's Meatless Monday, so I'm having a vegan dinner: gingered sesame encrusted tofu and roasted potato salad with apple cider vinegar, whole leaf sage and some more spices. The potato salad is loosely based on a recipe from SELF, but they suggested serving it with fried chicken. Uh, I don't think so!!!

Nutritional stats: 343 calories, 52 g carbs, 15 g protein, 10 g fat, 9 g fiber, 8 g sugar, 89 mg sodium.

Fish for lunch! Lettuce cup with coriander-rubbed cod and peach salsa

Cheating on Meatless Monday: lettuce cup with coriander-rubbed cod and peach salsa, brown rice with parsley and pine nuts on the side.

Nutritional stats: 453 calories, 70 g carbs, 29 g protein, 9 g fat, 9 g fiber, 21 g sugar, 367 mg sodium.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Goat Cheese Stuffed Bell Peppers & Nutmeg/Lemon Baked Cod With Nectarine Salsa

Sunday dinner! Appetizer: red bell peppers stuffed with goat cheese, 143 calories. Entree: nutmeg- and lemon-baked cod with nectarine salsa, 176 calories.

Nutritional stats for both dishes together: 298 calories, 30 g carbs, 28 g protein, 6 g fat, 7 g fiber, 11 g sugar, 476 mg sodium.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Creamy potato/pear soup with carrot and parmesan

Borrowed a recipe from Clean Eating and put those "near expiry date" potatoes and pears in my fridge to good use! I added the cherry tomatoes as a little "dessert". :)

Nutritional stats: 365 calories, 73 g carbs, 12 g protein, 5 g fat, 14 g fiber, 19 g sugar, 448 mg sodium.

Monday, March 19, 2012

A favorite of mine: steamed beet, goat cheese and edamame salad

When in doubt, I always make my beloved steamed beet, goat cheese and edamame salad for lunch or dinner. Today I served it with a lemon/agave vinaigrette, but it's just as good with a sprinkle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar!

Nutritional stats: 391 calories, 32 g carbs, 20 g protein, 21 g fat, 9 g fiber, 16 g sugar, 194 mg sodium.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Super spicy Sunday lunch: African Bird Chili Shrimp and Coconut-Broccoli Rice

I wanted to try something on the spicy side and made African Bird Chili Shrimp (196 calories) and Coconut-Broccoli Rice (223 calories) for lunch today. Seriously, I thought my mouth was going to burn up.... either I need to get used to spicier foods, or I need to learn how to measure properly when using African Bird Chili. But served with about 4 gallons of water, it was still a pretty yummy meal. :D

Nutritional stats: 459 calories, 65 g carbs, 31 g protein, 11 g fat, 10 g fiber, 8 g sugar, 496 mg sodium.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Meatless Monday! Spicy Carrot-Leek Soup

Sorry Angel, it's not for puppies! Meatless Monday lunch: spicy carrot/leek soup (211 calories) and a small lentil/edamame/olive/walnut bowl (200 calories).

Nutritional stats for both dishes together: 411 calories, 56 g carbs, 18 g protein, 16 g fat, 14 g fiber, 20 g sugar, 278 g sodium.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Lazy dinner: garbage salad

One of my go-to quick meals is the "garbage salad" - usually based on a lean protein (chicken, shrimp, fish or tofu), a leafy green (parsley, kale, spinach or baby bok choi), a small serving of some kind of bean (usually edamame, lentils, kidney beans or chickpeas), a nut or seed (usually chia seeds, flax, walnuts or pine nuts), cherry tomatoes, celery, onions (I always have these at home, so they're a given) and something sugary (beets, bamboo, apple, pear or pineapple... the opportunities are obviously endless).

Nutritional stats for this one: 309 calories, 41 g carbs, 34 g protein, 5 g fat, 11 g fiber, 20 g sugar, 151 mg sodium.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Low Calorie Avocado-Spinach Soup

Lunch! Avocado-spinach soup with lime and pumpkin seeds (213 calories), and some bread and tomatoes. Much yummier than it looks.

Nutritional stats for soup, bread and tomato salad: 356 calories, 45 g carbs, 11 g protein, 18 g fat, 12 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 327 mg sodium.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Spicy Cabbage-Apple Soup!

Post-yoga lunch: spicy apple-cabbage soup (226 calories), and a manzanilla-edamame-lentil bowl (163 calories).

Nutritional stats for both dishes together: 426 calories, 72 g carbs, 16 g protein, 13 g fat, 20 g fiber, 34 g sugar, 312 mg sodium.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Carrot-Fennel Soup With Agave and Garlic

Lunch! Carrot-fennel soup with agave and garlic (229 calories), and a chicken-veggie plate on the side (108 calories).

Nutritional stats for both dishes together: 376 calories, 54 g carbs, 27 g protein, 9 g fat, 17 g fiber, 18 g sugar, 305 mg sodium.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Carrot-Orange-Ginger Soup & Lentil-Walnut Pate Sandwich

Today's lunch: whole grain oatnut sandwich with lentil/walnut pate (315 calories), and carrot/orange/ginger soup (153 calories).

Nutritional stats for both dishes: 478 calories, 76 g carbs, 14 g protein, 16 g fat, 16 g fiber, 21 g sugar, 574 mg sodium.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Low fat coconut-spinach bisque

Coconut-spinach bisque for lunch today, made with low fat coconut milk (world's greatest invention!). It went down pretty fast! :)

Nutritional stats: 177 calories, 22 g carbs, 5 g protein, 9 g fat, 6 g fiber, 7 g sugar, 305 mg sodium.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Avocado-Bamboo-Orange Salad

Dinner... or more like lunch, since I haven't had time to eat since breakfast at 7:30am this morning! Avocado/bamboo/orange salad with pepitas, 264 calories. Serving this with a piece of rosemary/garlic chicken, that is still in the skillet and will hopefully be ready soon (I'm hungry). :)

Nutritional stats for salad: 244 calories, 29 g carbs, 5 g protein, 14 g fat, 8 g fiber, 15 g sugar, 29 mg sodium.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Low calorie thai coconut/pineapple shrimp

Lunch! Thai coconut/pineapple shrimp with shirataki noodles and bamboo... keeping the calorie count down, using low fat coconut milk and tofu shirataki noodles.

Nutritional stats: 313 calories, 42 g carbs, 25 g protein, 7 g fat, 13 g fiber, 20 g sugar, 369 mg sodium.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Spicy Red Cabbage-Apple Soup

I love experimenting with ginger, nutmeg, cayenne, you name it... as in this spicy red cabbage-apple soup. Serving with a Wasa cracker and a wedge of Laughing Cow Lite Blue Cheese (it's yummy, and it ups the protein a little for this somewhat carb and sugar heavy soup)!

Nutritional stats:  226 calories, 45 g carbs, 4 g protein, 6 g fat, 12 g fiber, 25 g sugar, 74 mg sodium.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Gingered pear-cabbage slaw

Lunch! Gingered pear-cabbage slaw with carrots, scallions, agave and a billion of spices. Serving with an egg/avocado sandwich to get some more nutrients and to make the meal a little more filling!

Nutritional stats: 160 calories, 31 g carbs, 2 g protein, 5 g fat, 6 g fiber, 17 g sugar, 197 mg sodium.